Australian govt’s bid to force tech firms to hand over encrypted data passes first hurdle

SYDNEY: The Australian parliament’s lower house passed a bill to force tech firms such as Alphabet Inc’s Google, Facebook and Apple to give police access to encrypted data yesterday, pushing it closer to becoming a precedentsetting law.

However, the proposal, staunchly opposed by the tech giants because Australia is seen as a test case as other nations explore similar rules, faces a sterner test in the upper house Senate, where privacy and information security concerns are sticking points.

The bill provides for fines of up to Aus$ 10 million (US$7.3 million) for institutions and prison terms for individuals for failing to hand over data linked to suspected illegal activities.

Earlier in the week it appeared set to secure enough support from both major political parties, with some amendments, to secure passage.

However, the main opposition Labor party said yesterday the bill could undermine data security and jeopardise future information sharing with US authorities.

“A range of stakeholders have said there is a real risk that the new powers could make Australians less safe ... (by) weakening the encryption that protects national infrastructure,” Labor’s Mark Dreyfus told parliament.

The proposed laws could also scupper cooperation with US.authorities because they lack sufficient privacy safeguards, Dreyfus said. Labor voted the bill through the lower house but was still negotiating with the government on the issue and would debate it in the Senate, he said.

Yesterday was the last parliamentary sitting day of the year until a truncated session in February, meaning the impasse could delay the laws for months. — Reuters